The Yoke of Christ or the Yoke of Bondage (Part 1)

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus has sent us an invitation to give us rest from our labor and heavy loads. But what are these labors and heavy burdens that He speaks of? You may think it is your unruly boss, your nagging family members, the bad economy, or any of the list of things this sinful world puts on our plate. But Jesus was speaking with an eternal purpose. The heavy burden He spoke of was the law and the weight of sin. He was not speaking of the law itself but the misunderstanding and application of His Father’s laws. The law itself is perfect according to Paul in Romans 7:12-13 (NASB):

¹² So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

¹³ Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

It was not the law that burdened the people but their sin. The labor they suffered under was the burden of trying to attain holiness or forgiveness of sin by keeping the whole law. Every year on the day of atonement a sacrifice would be given to atone for the unintentional sins of the people. But every year they would only be reminded of their sin but never freed from it. And to make matters worse they were living under the leadership of the Pharisees and the scribes. These men were known for keeping and interpreting the law. But instead of leading the people by the heart of the law to freedom, they lorded it over the people burying them under the weight of it. Jesus brought this indictment on them in Matthew 23:1-4 (NASB):

¹Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,

²saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.

 ³Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.

⁴ And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger.

Not only did the Pharisees and scribes lay man-made burdens on the people, but they also demanded perfection of the law. And all the while showed no mercy, grace, or any intent to help the people. They themselves were not perfect but demanded it, making them hypocrites. Contrast this with the burden of Jesus.  Jesus stated he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. He knew no man or woman could possibly obtain the perfection of the Father needed to live a life pleasing to Him without carrying the burden in their soul. But He was a man who was made “to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might be the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). Jesus did what you could not do in living a perfect, sinless life. He fulfilled the law’s demands and became the sacrificial lamb for our sins. Now He reigns at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest.

Some will mistake though that this means we can live however we want abusing the Grace of God. We are still commanded to walk in holiness and sanctification. But glory to God we don’t have to do it in our own strength anymore; not that we ever could. Thanks to our savior’s work on the cross we now have the blessing of being sent the Comforter and the Teacher - Holy Spirit. Our Father is a merciful Father, slow to anger, filled with longsuffering. You are no longer buried under the weight of the law. But instead, you are now free to live in the heart of the law. No offering or sacrifice can make you more acceptable than the sacrifice of Jesus.  But to walk the narrow road which leads to everlasting life, you will need the sufficient grace of Jesus. There is no time that Jesus leaves you and you begin to take over your walk in your own power. The Bible says He is the author and finisher of our faith. Like two oxen yoked together, we are yoked to a power greater than us. It is a power that will help us when we are weak and hold us up in our hardest times. When you are yoked to Jesus there is nothing in this world that can pull you down no matter how heavy.

But I leave you with a word of caution. Some have been led astray by false prophets and false teachers who teach a doctrine not of Christ; a salvation and sanctification built on works alone. Your adversary Satan seeks to return you to your heavy burdens if he cannot convince you to quit. But being the deceiver he is, he will deceive you into believing in your own self-righteousness. This is what is known as a yoke of bondage; which we will talk about in Part 2. Shalom.